Spring connection



l 1966 P. M. HALOPOFF ETAL 3,272,496

SPRING CONNECTION Filed March 5 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l m4. MM guano/:1

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SPRING CONNECTION Filed March 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mun/w Haw arx 1 004. M. Hmapop;

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United States Patent 3,272,496 SPRING CONNECTIGN Paul M. Halopotf and Wfliiam Halopoff, Los Angeles, Caiif., assignors to Hally Stamping and Manufacturing glompany, Los Angeles, Calif, a corporation of Caliornra Filed Mar. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 349,108 6 Claims. (Cl. 267-74) The invention relates to garage door hardware and particularly to a means for attaching long counterbalance springs to the hardware and to the door jamb, especially in connection with what has been commonly designated as overhead jamb type garage door hardware.

Overhead jamb type garage door hardware has been in use for some fifteen or twenty years. Many installations have been in use for a considerable period of time, during which time the counterbalance springs which form an important part of the lifting mechanism of devices of the kind described have been subjected to a great many flexures. Heretofore in order to fasten the spring to an appropriate hook, the practice has been to twist the spring wire at the ends in some special fashion to form a loop. As a result, many springs have broken, the breaks usually having taken place at one end or another of the spring where the specially heat-treated spring wire has been bent to form the loop. Breaking of springs not only involves the expensive replacement for the owner, but more particularly involves certain hazards.

When springs break, the break usually occurs when the spring is under maximum tension. When the spring breaks because of the type of attachment heretofore employed, the spring breaks loose from the attachment and is free to bounce about the interior of the garage. On some occasions broken springs have bounced about breaking garage windows and damaging contents of the garage, frequently the exterior of the automobile housed in the garage. Although some spring anchors have been employed to replace the customary loop, they have not been sufficiently simple and satisfactory to enjoy a widespread acceptance.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved overhead jamb type garage door hardware device incorporating a spring attachment adapted to minimize the breaking of springs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved spring attachment for counterbalance springs of garage door hardware by means of which the spring can be satisfactorily anchored at both ends so that in the event the spring might break, the likelihood of having the spring jump free of the attachment with resulting damage to the interior of the building is substantially minimized.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved spring fastening means for counterbalance springs of garage door hardware which greatly facilitates both the attachment of springs to the hardware fittings and which provides a simple, positive and inexpensive attachrnent means.

Further still among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved spring retainer for long heavy tension springs used in pairs as counterbalancing springs, the spring retainer being of simple and inexpensive construction and also being one capable of interlocking both springs together at each end whereby to make certain that should one or the other of the springs break under tension, there would be no loose pieces of spring which could tear loose and create damage within the building.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a section of a garage structure showing the garage hardware together with the spring connection attached to the structure and with the door in open position.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the upper end of a spring connection.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a side perspective view of one of the spring holding plates.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a second form of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the guard of FIGURES 6 and 7 in uncoupled position.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the guard of FIGURES 6 and 7 in coupled position.

FIGURE 10 is a side perspective view of the complete guard by itself.

In an embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration, one hinge of a set of garage door hardware is shown mounted on a jamb It] for a garage door 11 and having the garage door secured to the hinge and its assembly. Studding details have been omitted in the interest of presenting a clear picture of the hardware.

The garage door hardware forming the environment of the present invention is a type of hardware commonly designated as jamb type hardware, so identified because the attachment of the hardware at one end is made directly to the door jamb rather than to other portions of the building structure. The garage door hardware selected to have the novel spring connection incorporated therein has been in use for a substantial period of time, but will be described in some detail as comprising a typical environment for the inventive subject matter.

The hardware includes a jamb plate 12 attached to the jamb by any conventional means. A short arm 14, frequently made adjustable, is pivotally secured by a pin 15 to the jamb plate at one end of the arm and pivotally secured by a pin 16 to a gusset plate 17. The gusset plate in turn is attached by means of bolts 18 to one leg 19 of an angle iron 20 which is attached to the inside face of the door 11 by appropriate fastening means such as the bolts or leg screws 21.

A second longer arm often designated as a power arm 22 is pivotally secured .at one end by means of a pin 23 to the angle iron member 1?. This arm is also pivotally mounted by means of a pin 24 to the jamb plate 12 at about the mid point of the arm. At the end of the power arm 22, remote from its point of attachment to the door, is a series of holes 25 which serve the purpose of adjustment. That is to say, these holes 25 provide different locations at which parallel springs 26 and 27 may be attachecl to the power arm 22. To secure these springs 26 and 27 to a suitable point of attachment on the power arm 22, a spring fastener fitting is provided, held by a pin 28.

The spring fastener fitting in the chosen embodiment consists of a pair of parallel plates 29 and 29', adjacent ends of which are pivotally hung by means of the pin 28 upon the power arm 22. It will be noted that the plates 29 and 29' are spaced apart by a thickness comparable to the thickness of the power arm and so that they may ride freely, the connection is made rather loose.

Suspended on the plates 29 and 29 by means of a bolt 30 is a double hook member indicated generally by the reference character 31. This double hook member consists of a rod-like element having an arcuate mid-portion 32, having a radius of curvature appreciably larger than the circumference of the bolt 36 and bent so as to be suspended upon the bolt in a free and easy fashion. At opposite ends of the arcuate mid-portion 32 are left hand and right hand hooks 33 and 34 respectively having respective enlarged ends 35 and 36. The left hand hook provides a recess 37 which is substantially the same size as and at the same level as a recess 38 of the right hand hook 34.

For attaching the separate springs 26 and 27, each spring is provided with a plate 46. Since both plates are identical, only one will be described in detail and the plates thereafter referred to as a left hand plate 40 and a right hand plate 41.

As shown advantageously in FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, the left hand plate 40 has a butt 42 on opposite edges 43 and 44 of which are a plurality of coil receiving recesses 45 and 46. Near the end of the plate 40 opposite from the butt 42 is an elongated hole 47. The hole 47 has a breadth somewhat greater than the diameter of the left hand and right hand hooks 33 and 34 so that the plate 44), or 41 as the case may be, can be slipped freely over one or other of the enlarged ends 35 or 36 and thereby hung upon the respective hooks, as is shown in FIGURES 2 through 4.

On the plate 40, by way of example, there is shown a retaining boss 48 extending outwardly of the edge 43, and in the boss is a second hole 49.

To mount a pair of springs 26, 27 in the manner shown in FIGURE 2, endmost coils of the spring 26 are threaded over the coil receiving recesses 45 and 46 of the left hand plate 40. Endmost coils of the spring 27 are similarly attached to the right hand plate 4-1, the coils in each instance being threaded into position so that all of the coil receiving recesses are full. The plates 40, 41 are then hung upon the respective hooks 33, 34 in the manner shown in FIGURE 2. It is important to note that the left hand book 33 is spaced from the right hand hook 34 a distance substantially equal to or perhaps slightly in excess of the outside diameter of one of the springs 26 or 27 so that when the hooks are hung in the position shown in FIGURE 2, they will not crowd each other, but can fiex freely. The springs here under consideration are coiled tension springs of such character that when collapsed, the respective coils collapse upon each other and separate only when placed under tension.

When the springs have been hung in the manner described, a bolt 50 is extended through the second holes 49 in each of the plates 40, 41 as shown in FIGURE 2. A nut 51, co-operating with a head 52 on the bolt and, on occasions with washers 53 and 54, serve to fasten the left hand plate and right hand plate together, and at the same time so fix the relative positions of the plates 40, 41 that they cannot be removed either intentionally or inadvertently from their suspended position upon the hooks 33, 34.

Where expressly safe conditions are sought to be maintained, the same double hook member 31 and left hand and right hand plates 40 and 41 are also used on opposite ends of the springs 26, 27. Inasmuch as the plates as well as the double hook member may be the same as those already described as attached to the opposite ends of the spring, the description will not be repeated. In the last identified instance, however, the arcuate mid-portion 32 of the double hook member 31 is attached to an end 55 of a bracket 56 which is attached by means of lag screws 57 to the jamb 10.

In use there is virtually no deformation of the endmost coils of the springs 26 or 27, the deformation taking place in the portions of the springs which are unattached. Therefore, the springs will remain securely attached to the respective plates 40, 41. There is, consequently, no likelihood of the spring breaking due to fiexure at locations near the ends. Should the one or another of these springs be defective or become defective after a long period of use and ultimately break, the broken ends will remain firmly attached to the remaining unbroken spring and the respective double hook member 31. Accordingly, there will be no loose spring piece which can be shot loose under tension, thereafter to bounce about in the garage where damage could be done. Moreover, although the likelihood of both springs breaking at one time is extremely remote, even in this instance there would be no loose pieces of spring because both ends of both springs would remain attached to the respective double hook member by means of the bolt 50.

In a second form of the invention, a different type of guard is employed to keep broken sections of either or both of the springs 26 and 27 from coming loose and bouncing about the premises in the event that there might be a breakage of the springs. In this instance, a guard like that shown in FIGURE 10 is employed. The guard consists of a flexible wire cable 60 having a male fitting 61 at one end and a female fitting 62 at the other end. The male fitting consists of a sleeve 63 securely anchored to the wire cable 60 and a fiat portion terminating in a cross piece 64 connected to the flat portion by means of a leg 65. At the opposite end, the female fitting consists of a sleeve 66 permanently anchored to the respective end of the wire cable 60. The female fitting includes also a flat portion in which is an elongated slot 67. The slot is made preferably slightly longer than the length of the cross piece 64.

When this form of the device is to be used, one or another of the fittings is passed through holes 68 and 69 respectively in the plates 40 and 41. These holes 68 and 69 may be the same holes as those through which the bolt 50 extends when the first form of the invention is to be used. The fittings are then brought together from positions like those suggested in FIGURE 8 to positions like those suggested in FIGURES 6, 7 and 9. In the latter position, the cross piece 64 is passed through the slot 67 and then turned ninety degrees so that opposite ends of the cross piece rest upon one face of the female fitting 62 and the leg extends through the slot in the manner shown. With the ends of the cable fastened together in this fashion, should one or another of the springs 26 or 27 break, the pieces would be prevented from flying off by attachment of the cable to the plates 40 and 41 and the respective ends of the springs 26 and 27.

Where, on occasions, a single spring 26 or 27 is made use of, the cable 66 can be employed as a guard by coupling it through the appropriate hole 47 and then through an opening 70 in one or both of the plates 29, 29'.

There has accordingly been described herein a simple but highly effective spring retainer means capable of attachment in a highly approved manner which makes a permanent and rugged attachment, and which at the same time serves as a quick, handy, attaching device for securing the spring to appropriate hardware where it can be locked in place.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A spring connecting device for a pair of elongated coiled tension springs comprising a fitting for an end of each spring, each said fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each said plate having a mounting hole therein, a spring fastener fitting at each end of the pair of springs,

mounting means for mounting said springs in pairs and at both ends to a respective one of said fittings comprising a pair of hook elements attached to the respective fitting, one of said plates being mounted on each hook element, and a separate removable connection extending from one plate to the other and in a position attaching said plates together whereby the springs are anchored to the mounting means and to each other to prevent dislodgement should a spring break under tension.

2. A spring connecting device for a pair of elongated coiled tension springs comprising a fitting for an end of each spring, each said fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each said plate having a mounting hole and a fastening hole therein, mounting means for mounting said springs in pairs comprising a pair of hooks in engagement with the respective mounting holes, one of said plates being mounted on each hook, and a substantially permanent connection between the fastening holes of each pair of plates comprising a bolt engaging said fastening holes in the respective plates, whereby the springs are anchored to the mounting means and to each other.

3. A spring connecting device for a pair of elongated coiled tension springs comprising a fitting for an end of each spring, each said fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each said plate having a mounting hole and a second hole therein, mounting means for mounting said springs in pairs comprising a pair of hooks, one of said plates being mounted on each hook in parallel relationship, and a substantially permanent connection between the plates comprising a bolt engaging said second holes in the respective plates, whereby the springs are anchored to the mounting means and to each other.

4. A spring connecting device for a pair of elongated coiled tension springs comprising a fitting for each end of each spring, each said fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each said plate having an elongate-d hole adjacent the other end, and an enlargement on each said plate having a second hole therein, mounting means for mounting said springs in pairs and at both ends comprising a rod in the form of a pair of hooks spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of a spring, retaining bosses at free ends of said hooks, one of said plates being mounted on each hook, whereby the plates are in parallel relationship, and a substantially permanent connection between each pair of plates comprising a bolt engaging said second holes in the respective plates, whereby the springs are anchored to the mounting means and to each other.

5. A spring connecting device for a pair of elongated coiled tension springs comprising a fitting for an end of each spring, each said fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each said plate having a mounting hole and a fastening hole therein, mounting means for mounting said springs in pairs comprising a pair of hooks in engagement with the respective mounting holes, one of said plates being mounted on each hook, and a substantially permanent connection between the fastening holes of each pair of plates comprising a flexible wire cable extending through the fastening holes in the respective plates and complementary connections on the ends of the cable adapted to be fastened to each other whereby the springs are anchored to the mounting means and to each other.

6. A spring connection for an elongated coiled tension spring comprising a fitting for each end of the spring, each fitting comprising a plate with a butt at one end having a plurality of coil receiving recesses on opposite edges in spiral spacing and adapted to receive and hold a plurality of endmost coils of spring wire, each plate having a mounting hole therein, a spring fastener fitting at each end of the spring, mounting means for mounting the spring at each end to a respective one of said fittings comprising a hook element on the fastener fitting having a cross sectional area smaller than the cross sectional area of said hole, each said plate being mounted on the respective hook element with the hook element ext-ending through the hole therein, and a separate removable guard attached to the plate in a position blocking dislodgment of the spring should the spring break under tension.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 528,721 11/1894 Hendryx 267-73 841,227 1/1907 Chellis 26 774 946,143 1/ 1910 Levedahl. 2,136,596 11/1938 Smith 267-73 2,702,082 2/1955 Wolf 267-74 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. W. WILBUR, R. M. WOHLFARTH, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SPRING CONNECTING DEVICE FOR A PAIR OF ELONGATED COILED TENSION SPRINGS COMPRISING A FITTING FOR AN END OF EACH SPRING, EACH SAID FITTING COMPRISING A PLATE WITH A BUTT AT ONE END HAVING A PLURALITY OF COIL RECEIVING RECESSES ON OPPOSITE EDGES IN SPIRAL SPACING AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND HOLD A PLURALITY OF ENDMOST COILS OF SPRING WIRE, EACH SAID PLATE HAVING A MOUNTING HOLE THEREIN, A SPRING FASTENER FITTING AT EACH END OF THE PAIR OF SPRINGS, MOUNTING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID SPRINGS IN PAIRS AND AT BOTH ENDS TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FITTINGS COMPRISING A PAIR OF HOOK ELEMENTS ATTACHED TO THE RESPECTIVE FITTING, ONE OF SAID PLATES BEING MOUNTED ON EACH HOOK ELEMENT, AND A SEPARATE REMOVABLE CONNECTION EXTENDING FROM ONE PLATE TO THE OTHER AND IN A POSITION ATTACHING SAID PLATES TOGETHER WHEREBY THE SPRINGS ARE ANCHORED TO THE MOUNTING MEANS AND TO EACH OTHER TO PREVENT DISLODGEMENT SHOULD A SPRING BREAK UNDER TENSION. 